James R Doolittle Academy, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on James R Doolittle Academy

James R Doolittle Academy is a small elementary and middle school in Chicago's Douglas neighborhood, serving pre-K through eighth grade. The school's enrollment sits at a modest level, with the largest share of students in the lower grades: pre-K and third grade each carry more weight in the school's population, while seventh and eighth grades are quite small.

The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a very small number of Hispanic and white students. Enrollment data for free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the economic composition of the student population to understand peer context fully.

State assessment results from Illinois show that Doolittle is struggling academically across tested subjects and grades. In math, proficiency is very low: third grade at just under 5 percent, fourth grade near 8 percent, fifth and seventh grades at zero, and sixth and eighth grades in the single digits. English language arts shows similarly weak performance, though with some variation. Third grade ELA sits near 4 percent proficient, while fourth grade reaches about 18 percent and fifth grade about 14 percent. Sixth grade ELA is about 8 percent, but seventh and eighth grades show relative strength at roughly 24 and 22 percent respectively. Science proficiency in fifth grade is about 11 percent, and eighth grade is roughly 17 percent. Participation rates are high across the board, ranging from roughly 96 to 100 percent, meaning nearly all tested students sat for the assessments. A parent should understand that the school's overall proficiency index—the mean across tested subjects and grades—places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in Cook County.

The school's low academic outcomes warrant direct conversation with leadership about what instructional supports are in place, whether staff turnover has been an issue, and what academic interventions the school is implementing for students not meeting grade-level standards. These are foundational questions when considering a school with these results.

Chicago Public Schools, Doolittle's parent district, is undergoing significant structural change. The district moved in 2024 from a mayor-appointed board to one that is now hybrid (10 elected, 11 appointed) and will be fully elected by November 2026, fundamentally shifting governance. The district also adopted a strategic plan called "Together We Rise" in 2024 that shifts emphasis away from school choice toward strengthening neighborhood schools. In a related move, CPS replaced its long-standing numeric school ratings system with new holistic dashboards in December 2024, so the evaluation framework families use is in transition. Additionally, the district rolled out Skyline, a PreK-12 curriculum now available across all district-managed schools, providing standardized instructional materials that were not previously district-wide.

Chicago itself is a large, walkable city with extensive public transit and a revived downtown anchored by the Loop and Near North Side. The city has returned to population growth after years of decline, and housing approvals are rising, particularly in the Near West Side. The median home value in the school's zip code is mid-range for the region, and rent is moderate; both housing costs and the home values show slight year-over-year decline. The broader economic context includes moderate unemployment and a diverse economy anchored by major employers in finance, healthcare, technology, and public service.

Doolittle is a regular, non-charter public school with no magnet designation. It sits within the Douglas neighborhood on East 35th Street, a location accessible via Chicago's extensive bus and transit network. The school is small enough that a parent would have direct access to leadership and would know many other families, but large enough to serve multiple grade levels. This is a neighborhood school rather than a specialized or selective-admission program, so enrollment is likely geographically tied to the area.

A parent considering Doolittle should recognize that academic results are weak across the board and warrant a candid conversation with school staff about the root causes and the specific steps being taken to improve outcomes. The broader context of district change—new board structure, shift toward neighborhood schools, and curriculum rollout—means the school environment may be evolving, but it also means the immediate past may look different from the near future. A visit to the school, conversations with current families, and a direct inquiry about the school's academic plan and support for struggling learners would all be essential before a decision.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 38% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 29% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 24% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 27% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 36% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 39% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 43% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 45% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 46% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 48% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 31% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolChicago Public Schools Dist 299, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.